The Howling (1981)

After a bizarre and near deadly encounter with a serial killer, a television newswoman is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem.

Director:

Joe Dante

Writers:

Gary Brandner (novel), John Sayles (screenplay)

Stars:

Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dee Wallace	...	Karen White
Patrick Macnee	...	Dr. George Waggner
Dennis Dugan	...	Chris Halloran
Christopher Stone	...	R. William 'Bill' Neill
Belinda Balaski	...	Terry Fisher
Kevin McCarthy	...	Fred Francis
John Carradine	...	Erle Kenton
Slim Pickens	...	Sam Newfield
Elisabeth Brooks	...	Marsha Quist
Robert Picardo	...	Eddie Quist
Margie Impert	...	Donna
Noble Willingham	...	Charlie Barton
James Murtaugh	...	Jerry Warren
James MacKrell	...	Lew Landers (as Jim McKrell)
Kenneth Tobey	...	Older Cop

Storyline

In a red light district, newswoman Karen White is bugged by the police, investigating serial killer Eddie Quist, who has been molesting her through phone calls. After police officers find them in a peep-show cabin and shoot Eddie, Karen becomes emotionally disturbed and loses her memory. Hoping to conquer her inner demons, she heads for the Colony, a secluded retreat where the creepy residents are rather too eager to make her feel at home. There also seems to be a bizarre connection between Eddie Quist and this supposedly safe haven. And when, after nights of being tormented by unearthly cries, Karen ventures into the forest and makes a terrifying discovery.

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Plot Keywords:

psychiatrist | forest | female full frontal nudity | outdoor sex | monster | 

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Taglines:

Imagine your worst fear a reality.

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

10 April 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aullidos

Filming Locations:

Westlake Village, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$17,986,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Embassy Pictures,International Film Investors,Wescom Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This took about four years from the time Gary Brandner's novel was published in 1977 and to when this movie was made.

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Goofs

Slim Pickens is shot twice with the shots coming almost on top of each other in quick succession. However, he is shot with a manual bolt-action rifle making that impossible.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dr. George Waggner: Repression. Repression is the father of neurosis, of self-hatred. Now, stress results when we fight against our impulses. We've all heard people talk about animal magnetism, the natural man. the noble savage, as if we'd lost something valuable in our long evolution into civilized human beings. Now there's a good reason for this.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits roll over TV static and features dialogue snippets from the movie.

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Alternate Versions

In the French video version (TF1) The scene where "Eddie" rips a bullet out of his forehead just before turning into a werewolf is missing. The theater version was uncut though.

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Connections

References The Wolf Man (1941)

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Soundtracks

Wolf Bites Man!
(uncredited)
Composed by Pino Donaggio
Conducted by Natale Massara

User Reviews

Joe Dante's The Howling has plenty of scares throughout

Earlier this week, I saw An American Werewolf in London in its entirety for the first time in my life. Now I just saw another werewolf movie from 1981 from beginning to end in my first viewing: The Howling. With direction from Joe Dante and a script co-written by John Sayles, this flick was almost as awesome as the John Landis' England-based comedy-horror pic. Dee Wallace, who would later be better known as the mother in E.T., is fine as the television reporter who is recovering from an unpleasant encounter with a serial killer as she and her husband (Christopher Stone) take in a retreat in the woods with a community waiting there for them. Many effective werewolf transformation scenes abound although some may take so long that you want to laugh after a while. Still, good support from Robert Picardo, Dennis Dugan, Kevin McCarthy, Slim Pickens, Patrick Macnee, John Carradine, and in cameos, Roger Corman, Sayles, Forrest J. Ackerman, and frequent Dante regular Dick Miller as Walter Paisley, a name he first used in Corman's A Bucket of Blood. Great use of scares throughout up to the ironic finale. So give The Howling a try with maybe An American Werewolf in London as its second feature...P.S. Like AWIL, there's references to The Wolf Man with clips shown on a television screen and a picture of Lon Chaney, Jr. in a cabin somewhere.